Neumann starts strong and finishes strong in exciting district semifinal win against Lourdes

MILTON–A 19-point lead had become a four-point deficit. Lourdes players and fans had taken over Milton’s gymnasium. A two-year title reign was on the verge of collapsing.

Seven minutes remained and over those final seven minutes, St. John Neumann showed exactly why it is a two-time defending District 4 Class A champion. Saturday’s district semifinal was a roller coaster of emotions, reaching remarkable highs and canyon-like lows. Neumann eventually made sure it closed on top, but what a wild ride this was.

Neumann dominated the last seven minutes and pulled away for a hard-fought 77-64 win. Davion Hill scored 12 of his game-high 27 points during that time, Hanief Clay added 23 and a defense which disappeared for two quarters formed a wall as Neumann (21-3) earned a spot in next week’s championship against North Penn-Liberty. Those teams met in last year’s final as well and Neumann will make its fourth straight championship appearance, likely Thursday, at a time and place to be determined.

“We had to pick it up. We just came together and we said we have to get this done,” Naz Smith said after playing a critical defensive role throughout the fourth quarter. “It’s too early in the playoffs for us to be done. We have a big road ahead of us and big plans. We’re trying to get a ring.”

What happened Saturday could provide Neumann a boost toward that goal if it learns from the experience. The Knights put on a clinic to open the game and led 19-0 less than five minutes into it. But as it has been prone to do throughout the season, Neumann appeared to let up and Lourdes thundered back. A team which rallied from 17 down in the third quarter to beat Meadowbrook Christian in the quarterfinals cut the lead to 13 by halftime and rocked Neumann throughout the third quarter, taking a 52-50 lead. That lead grew to four on the fourth-quarter’s opening possession.

At that point many were thinking about how Neumann could have lost that big lead. The Knights were only thinking about how to get it back.

A team which has showcased its talent all season, revealed its heart Saturday. Neumann regained the lead with 6 minutes, 10 seconds remaining, never let it go and looked like the team which started the game, ending on a 27-10 run.

“It definitely was a gut check. It shows that those aren’t positions we have to be in at all. We have to put teams away,” Hill said. “This is definitely a game that will help us going into the district championship.”

“I was proud of the guys. They found a way. That was the theme of the day, just find a way to advance,” Neumann coach Jamie Spencer said. “All those guys are warriors. They’re so competitive that they’re not going to bow down. They knew things weren’t going our way but there was no doubt we were going to win the game. It was just a matter of time until we figured it out.”

As he has done throughout his scholastic career, Hill helped Neumann crack the code. The two-time all-state guard did not miss any of his seven shots from the field and line in the fourth quarter and was at this best at the perfect time. Hill’s coast-to-coast layup put Neumann on top to stay, 55-54 before he found Clay for a layup and scored off a drive again. Clay pushed it to seven and Hill punctuated the brewing storm by throwing down a two-hand power dunk off a Naseer Dymeck steal and assist.

Moments later, Hill scored off a putback and Neumann led 67-56 with 3:20 remaining. The junior guard made a run at a triple-double, finishing with 27 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three steals.

“My first two years we’ve gone out on a buzzer-beater and losing by two points in states, so I don’t want to feel that again,” Hill said. “I just took over as best I could.”

He had plenty of help, too. Clay scored nine fourth-quarter points and finished with five assists and three steals. JerVal Weeks-Shuler seemingly was everywhere, making three of his six steals in the closing seven minutes. Smith and Dymeck played monster defensive roles during the comeback as well and each made three steals.

So much went wrong during the middle quarters as Lourdes rallied, but Neumann did so much right to erase that comeback in the fourth and keep marching forward.

“We called a timeout to try and rally the troops after they took the lead. They really responded and our defensive intensity down the stretch was second to none,” Spencer said. “That’s the difference of the game.”

It was a complete 180 reversal as well. Neumann’s defense was non-existent in the middle quarters when Lourdes scored at will, producing 44 points. After Neumann went up 15 early in the third, Lourdes outscored it 26-7 over the next eight minutes with several coming on easy drives and open jumpers. The Red Raiders (14-10) showed how resilient they were in the quarterfinals and offered a reminder Saturday with Shaun Potter and Owen Sandri each scoring 17 points and Tyler Novak adding 13.

Neumann, however, learned its lesson and played super defense after falling behind. The Knights protected the rim, contested shots and turned up the pressure. Defense may have been the reason the lead disappeared, but it also was the reason Neumann seized control, changing the game’s complexion with a 17-2 run.

“We could hear them at the half fired up in their locker room and we knew we had to come out tough, but they played tough and hit some shots and we didn’t really pick up on defense like we should have out of the half,” Hill said. “When we went down we knew that it was going to take a lot. We definitely picked it up toward the end of the game. We locked in and shut them out on defense from there.”

“I think we were playing a little lazy, but at the beginning of the fourth quarter we definitely picked things up and we got rolling from there,” Smith said after scoring nine points and adding four rebounds. “That was probably our best defense (in fourth quarter) all season. We definitely had to get some stops on D. That was big. If we do that, the scoring comes from there.”

The scoring came early and often early as Dymeck’s 3-pointer had Neumann up 10-0 just 94 seconds into the game. That lead ballooned to 19-0 when Hill found Clay for a basket. In a sign of things to come, however, Lourdes scored the next eight points. The Raiders hung around throughout the first half and in the third quarter they made their big move.

“We got comfortable, but we’re just blessed that we get a chance to lace them up for the district championship,” Spencer said. “That was the goal (Saturday), to win this game and move on and get a chance.”

LOURDES (64)

Shaun Poter 7 2-3 17, Tyler Novak 3 6-6 13, Casen Sandri 2 0-0 4, Owen Sandri 5 3-6 17, Max Reiprish 4 0-0 8, Alex Hughes 1 0-0 2, Austin Lamonica 1 0-0 3. Totals 23 11-17 64.

NEUMANN (77)

Davion Hill 9 8-9 27, Hanief Clay 9 5-10 23, Naseer Dymeck 3 0-0 8, JerVal Weeks-Shuler 1 4-6 6, Naz Smith 4 1-1 9, Joe Savage 2 0-0 4, Kane Wright 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 18-26 77.

Lourdes 8 20 24 12ä64

Neumann 22 19 9 27ä77

3-pointers: Lourdes 7 (O. Sandri 4, Potter, Novak, Lamonica); Neumann 3 (Dymeck 2, Hill).

Records: Neumann 21-3. Lourdes 14-10.